According to Relevant Magazine, Kenerly told a councilmember that she excluded the qualified candidate from consideration “because he is black, and the city isn’t ready for this.”

Hoschton is a small town made up of 2,000 people, most of whom are white.

While being interviewed about the Kenerly controversy, Hoschton Councilman Jim Cleveland also made racists comments and credited his Christian faith for his beliefs.

Cleveland, first defended the mayor saying, “I understood where she was coming from… I understand Theresa saying that, simply because we’re not Atlanta. Things are different here than they are 50 miles down the road,” the Atlantic Journal-Constitution reports.

Reportedly he added, “I don’t know how they [the majority white constituents] would take it if we selected a black administrator. She might have been right.”

He told reporters “I’m a Christian and my Christian beliefs are you don’t do interracial marriage.”

“That’s the way I was brought up and that’s the way I believe,” he continued. “I have black friends, I hired black people. But when it comes to all this stuff you see on TV, when you see blacks and whites together, it makes my blood boil because that’s just not the way a Christian is supposed to live.”

The politicians’ words quickly sparked outrage from the community and surrounding areas, causing many to demand their resignations.

“Their conduct is reprehensible. They have no business continuing to lead this city,” Councilwoman Susan Powers said in a city council meeting Monday.

Shantwon Austin, a black man who moved to Hoschton with his family two years ago said of the mayor and councilman, “You do not represent our community and I didn’t move here for that.”

According to Relevant Magazine, Mayor Kenerly has not commented on the incident or the calls for her resignation.

Councilman Cleveland, however, is reportedly adamantly denying claims that he is racist. According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cleveland is also asserting that the only way to get him out of office is for there to be a recall election.